Roof repair in Satellite Beach, FL

Under Florida's code, repairs may touch no more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section within any 12-month period. Go past that and the whole roof section must be replaced or recovered, unless the roof itself was built or redone to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later. When that applies, current code governs only the portion that was repaired.

Maintenance work that reconstructs or renews part of a roof counts as a repair. A replacement removes the old covering, fixes damaged substrate and installs a new one. Whether a small repair needs a permit is the building official's decision, so ask the City of Satellite Beach Community Development Department before work starts.

With 81.9 percent of occupied homes owner-occupied, most decisions here rest with the homeowner. If an insurer raises roof age, a roof 15 years or older can be inspected at your expense, and a result of 5 or more years of life left limits refusal or non-renewal for age alone. Your insurer or agent is the right person to walk you through your policy.

Stay off the roof. Look from the ground for missing shingles, lifted ridge caps, loose soffit panels and sagging gutters, then photograph them. Check the attic ceiling for stains and damp insulation. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, so temporary protection matters.

Your insurer has to receive notice of a new property claim within 1 year of the loss. Under Florida law, a roofer may not solicit a claim or advise on coverage. Take coverage questions to your insurer.